Hey everyone, guess what? There’s a brand-new Sailor Moon fansub group known as Sea of Serenity! There aren’t many active groups subtitling Sailor Moon these days, and even fewer who are exclusive to the series, so it’s awesome to see one pop up.

You wanna know what’s even more awesome? Sea of Serenity has made the musicals a priority and I am just ecstatic about it! While I am thankful to all the groups who have worked to subtitle the musicals, none have ever managed to complete the entire series. As such, the musicals have had a real lack of consistency in their translation and subtitling style. Sea of Serenity has made it their mission to get all the musicals subtitled and create the first complete, consistent translation of the whole of Sera Myu.

When one thinks of musical theatre, it’s easy to have a myopic focus on Broadway. After all, it is held as the pinnacle of the art form, and in American culture, the name is used interchangeably with “musical” (ie: people will refer to themselves as “Broadway fans” just as quickly as “musical fans”; someone might say he saw a “Broadway” show in Cleveland; etc.). Many fans will also know of London’s West End as well, as it’s a similarly prolific producer of musicals and there is such a frequent exchange of shows between the two.

What many fans may not realize, however, is that there is a whole wide world of musical theatre ready to be explored.

This Sailor Moon character is supposed to be a man, but many international versions of the show have made him a woman. Why? To cover up the fact that he was in a homosexual relationship with his fellow general.

This is wrong, but does the bad reasoning necessarily make for a bad product? I say no, and here’s why:

We’ve all heard of “boys don’t cry”, but another harmful trope that is pervading modern media is that straight guys can’t show affection or concern to their fellow dudes without being in denial of their “true sexuality”. Fiyero has a couple fighting words for that trope.

So it turns out that The Princess Bride is gearing up for a Broadway production! No official word on whether the adaptation will be a musical or a play, but I’m willing to bet on musical since they’re more marketable on Broadway. The book-turned-movie tells the story of young lovers Westley and Buttercup and the epic, and often comical, obstacles they face to be with one another. They are joined by some excellent side characters, both villainous and friendly, to make a memorable and interesting adventure. The romantic narrative and character-heavy cast make this story ripe for musical adaptation… but what’s this? It’s being produced by Disney theatricals? Suddenly my bubble has deflated, though not quite burst entirely.

Ten years ago tonight, Wicked the musical opened on Broadway. In honor of this achievement, here are ten good reasons you should be celebrating this musical:

10. Who doesn’t love The Wizard of Oz?

Seriously, if you’re an Oz fan (as so many people are), Wicked is more than worth your while. I wouldn’t say that it’s something every fan will enjoy, since it plays a little fast and loose with the canon, but if you’re not too staunch a purist, it makes for a really enjoyable experience. The musical sticks primarily to the MGM film for its inspiration, as one can instantly tell just because the witch is green, but it also throws in a few references to elements of the book which are not present in the movie, so it’s clear that an effort was made on the part of the creative team to educate themselves on the source.

What sets A Nightmare on Elm Street apart from other horror franchises? Well to be honest, lots of things, but what drew me to the series initially was the powerful women who did more than escape death and took active roles in their survival. The women who acted rather than reacted. This is a brief introduction to the women of Elm Street, the ones Freddy has nightmares about.

Fun Home is a new musical based on the book of the same name. The book, described by author Alison Bechdel as “a family tragicomic”, is a graphic memoir of the author’s young life, particularly her relationship with her father. Their relationship is complicated by the fact that he was a closeted homosexual and she is unsure of what her true feelings are for him and what his true feelings were towards her and the rest of their family.

I read Bechdel’s memoir on a whim when I was working at my college’s bookstore because it looked interesting, and while I wouldn’t say I was enthralled, I did find it to be more than worth my time. The author sorts through her memories and tries to understand who her father was. While reading, the thought “This would make a great musical” never once entered my mind, but here we are, with the musical running off-Broadway and getting pretty good buzz.